Heading into the
season’s first two weeks, it appeared as if all was lost for Brian Nash’s team after a
road loss to St. Francis (PA). But no one within the program accepted mailing it
in as an option. The result was a three-game win streak to end the regular
season, which got the Terriers into a tie for eighth and the final spot in the
NEC Tournament. And although they dropped the quarterfinal to the eventual NCAA
Tournament representative Central Connecticut State, the end of last season is a
good place to begin their progression to bigger and better things.

How good can this
team be, with four senior starters returning, could very well depend on the play
of second team All-NEC selection Robert Hines (16.5 ppg, 5.9 rpg). The senior
forward led the Terriers in scoring last season and is their leading rebounder
as well. How well the frontcourt as a whole performs will depend on which
players step up to help offset the graduation of Allan Sheppard (10.8 ppg, 5.1
rpg). At center, seniors Bass Yessoufou and Sami Pekkola will split time at
center. Yessoufou, who started 25 games last season, shot 53.2% from the field
but can be foul prone as well, averaging slightly more than three per game.
Pekkola only played in six games last season, but will need to step into a
larger role. Three other players up front who can provide a serious spark are
junior John Gooden (48.1% FG, 3.9 rpg) and sophomores Kayode Ayeni and David
Burton. All three are capable athletes that can do a variety of things on the
floor.

The backcourt
situation looks to be a bit more stable for the Terriers, who return both Jamaal
Womack (10.6 ppg, 2.6 rpg) and Marcus Williams (8.2 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 1.7 spg).
Womack finished seventh in the conference in three-pointers made, and Williams
was also the team’s leading assist man with 2.8 helpers per game. And four
players who will be seeing their first action as Terriers this season should be
able to contribute as well, beginning with junior Otis Campbell. Campbell, a
teammate of Williams at famed St. Anthony in Jersey City, redshirted last season
due to a back injury. If he’s recovered, Campbell will add the ability to hit
the three to the Terriers offense.

Three freshmen from
the NYC area will also be counted on to contribute, beginning with lead guard
Ricky Cadell (New York, NY). Cadell, who averaged 15.0 ppg and 7.0 apg at The
Patterson School last year, will allow Womack to play off the ball more this
season. Also coming into the fold is sharpshooter Rocco Rubino (Brooklyn, NY)
and point guard Lateef Willis (Bronx, NY). Rubino, in fact, may already be
SFNY’s best perimeter shooter, so look for him to get some time early at the two
coming off the bench. This will be a guard-heavy team, but given the number of
returnees and the talent of the newcomers, that may not be such a bad thing.

In regards to the
schedule this season, the Terriers don’t have to worry about an opener along the
lines of last year’s debut at Syracuse. Non-conference games against St. John’s
(November 14th), Hofstra (November 21st), Ohio (December 2nd),
Columbia (December 10th) and South Florida (December 22nd)
highlight an early-season slate that could have SFNY sitting above .500 come
January. Within the NEC, there is a three-game road swing in late January that
will have the Terriers visiting St. Francis (PA), Robert Morris and Mount St.
Mary’s. The season ends with back-to-back home games against FDU and LIU.

2007-08
Prospects

Even though the
coaches picked SFNY to finish eighth in the NEC this year, a finish in the top
half of the standings is indeed there for the taking. While they struggled as a
team from behind the arc last season (29.1% in 06-07), additions such as Rubino
and Campbell could help get that number up to a more acceptable level. And given
the lighter schedule load this season, don’t expect another 0-12 start to the
season. In addition to improving the outside shooting, a third scoring option
will be needed to give Hines and Womack a hand as well as offset the loss of
Sheppard. In Hines, Coach Nash will have one of the best players in the NEC at
his disposal, and the other returning seniors should be able to provide a
helping hand this year.

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About Raphielle Johnson

ColumnistAssistant Editor

Contactraphiellej@aol.com

Background

College sports has always been a source of excitement for Raphielle Johnson, be it through watching, writing, or taking a shot in the dark and walking onto a college football team just to live the life (Arizona Football, 2001). Raphielle is the assistant editor, providing his own work in addition to helping out with the site operations. When not writing for CHN, you can usually find him in front of a television set watching one of many pay-per-view sports packages that he owns. He can be followed at twitter.com/raphiellej.